As She Was Sleeping
by Shinju90
Summary: Nightmares flood Conan with doubt's about the safety of his friends and loved ones.  But Ran always provides him with the strength to go on.  Even if she isn't aware of it herself.


**I posted this forever ago on my livejournal and deviantart. I never realized that I'd never published it here. I hope everyone likes it! This is my first Detective Conan fanfic.  
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><p>A frightened gasp turned into a muffled scream as Conan snapped awake, quickly hiding his face into his pillow. Cold shivers racked his miniature body and he curled himself into a tight ball beneath the blanket on his futon. His heart was fluttering like a sparrows and he forced himself to take slow deep breaths. He cracked an eye open and glanced up at the bed he lay beside.<p>

The first time he had woken Mouri Kogoro with his screams he had received a bop on the head. The third and fourth times, Mouri had simply stared in contemplation as Conan rattled off a story about a scary Yaiba villain. The snores continued to rumble from the bed above him and he decided that he had muffled the scream in time. Sitting up, Conan wiped the sweat from his face with the collar of his shirt.

_Ran_

Glancing again to be sure that Mouri-san was truly asleep he slipped out from under his covers and padded softly to the door. Opening it the smallest crack possible he disappeared into the dark hallway. Ran's room was just down the hall, between him and the kitchen. He stopped outside her door and contemplated sneaking inside. The doorknob was cool against his fingers, colder than the wood against his forehead.  
><em><br>It was all so dangerous._

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Gin. Grinning as he held a gun to Ran's temple. Every time he fell asleep he heard her screams as 'Seven Children' played hauntingly in the background. Conan sighed as he released the knob and made his way to the kitchen.

Conan cursed Gin, Vodka and every member of that damned organization as he struggled to quietly pull a chair to the counter to get a glass of water. How long could he hide himself? How long would it be until he was discovered? Kneeling on the counter he turned on the tap and let his glass fill.

How many casualties would there be? The Organization would target everyone he knew and cared for, that was certain. Ran and her father would be the first to go. After that they would hunt down Professor Agasa and, if she didn't flee, they would find Haibara with him. She alone would open an all new can of worms. Would they target the children? Their parents or Kobayashi-sensei? His parents could probably keep themselves out of harms way and he couldn't imagine Vermouth simply letting them kill her friend. But then again, she probably wouldn't have a say in the matter.

Hattori and Kazuha would be targeted. Conan and Heiji had worked together too many times to be ignored. Along that train of thought he wondered how many members of the First Division would become victims for their colleagues to investigate. Kaitou Kid might even have to watch his back a little more closely.

Water spilled over the rim of the glass effectively dragging him from his thoughts. Turning off the tap, he poured some of the water out of the glass. But even then he had to use to hands to sip without dropping or spilling it. Setting the glass in the sink after he finished Conan climbed off the counter and dragged the chair back to where he had found it. He tip toed back into the hallway and once again his fingers found the coolness of Ran's doorknob.

The door didn't creak as it opened a crack wide enough for him to slip through. Ran kept her room rather tidy, so he didn't worry about tripping over something as he crept to her bedside. She was taking quiet, regular breaths, deep asleep. He couldn't stop himself from running a small had through her dark brown hair. He gently touched her cheek and she stirred slightly, turning into his caress.

"Shin…ichi"

She whispered it so quietly that if he hadn't been watching and listening with rapt attention he would have missed it entirely. A bitter, sad smile slightly turned up the corners of his lips.

"I'm right here Ran."

She smiled and his heart warmed, even as it shattered. How long would she wait for him? Did he have any right to make her wait for something, someone, that was never guaranteed to come home? Should he let Shinichi Kudo truly die and let her move on with her life?

"I love you…Shinichi"

No, he thought. He wasn't strong enough for that. Red strings encircled the separated pieces of his heart, dragging them back together. In this matter, he would be selfish. He would stand his ground against his devils and not falter. He could not loose Ran. Nor would he allow someone, Black Organization or otherwise, to take her from him.

He disappeared back into the hallway with his resolve strengthened again. He did not doubt that tomorrow the nightmares and doubts would come creeping back into his mind. But tomorrow he would sneak back into Ran's room. And as she was sleeping he would gaze at her face and steal back his resolve for another day.


End file.
